$45 Million Emergency Tornado Relief Measure Approved

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives unanimously passed Senate Bill 249, a measure that will provide relief in response to the May 2013 tornadoes.

Governor Mary Fallin applauded passage of the emergency aid legislation. SB 249 will direct $45 million from the Rainy Day Fund to the Office of Emergency Management for immediate tornado relief. These funds will match a portion of the federal funds that have been allocated to local governments for their relief efforts. The funds will be administered by the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management and used to reimburse local governments for relief efforts related to natural disasters, including the May 19 and May 20 tornadoes.

“The tornadoes that struck several Oklahoma communities this week were absolutely devastating,” said Fallin. “We are currently in an all-hands-on-deck effort to recover and rebuild. My thanks go out to our Legislature for helping to ensure that communities hit hard by storm and tornado damage will have the support they need moving forward.”

Money from the fund will match 12.5 percent of federal dollars spent to reimburse counties, cities, and towns for infrastructure damages that occur under a presidential disaster declaration. It will also be used to cover extraordinary response costs incurred by state agencies while responding to natural disasters.

“We lost 26 Oklahomans and hundreds continue to suffer due to this tragedy,” said Representative John Echols, R-Oklahoman City. “It is of the greatest priority that we come together as a legislature and provide help when our people are most vulnerable. We are a strong state made of strong people. We will overcome this tragedy and we will rebuild.”

“Tragedy has once again fallen upon our great state,” said Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore. “Communities have been destroyed and lives have been ended, all too soon. The world has been watching and Oklahoma and has proven that we are a brave people able to unite and rise above this challenging time. I give my thanks to my fellow lawmakers for their votes.”

News outlets are predicting the total dollar amount in damage to exceed the May 3, 1999 tornado, which was greater than $1 billion. Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has made early predictions that damage could be well over $2 billion.

“The devastation that has fallen upon my district and this state is indescribable,” said Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore. “Oklahomans are facing a great hardship and the road to recovery will be long. I applaud my fellow lawmakers for their united compassion.”

“The people of Oklahoma have placed their trust in us as elected officials,” said Rep. Jason Nelson. “With that trust comes the responsibility to do what is right. By opening our hearts and through God’s guidance, I believe this chamber’s unanimous passage of this measure reinforces our commitment to the people of this state. This legislature is united. We are Oklahomans.”

Senate Bill SB 249 passed unanimously in both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma State Senate. It was authored by Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman and Representative Jason Nelson.

SB 249 will now go to the desk of Gov. Mary Fallin to be signed into law.

Democrats Put Politics Before Policy on Severe Weather Liability Law

Veto Override Attempt Fails

OKLAHOMA STATE CAPITOL -- An attempt to override a governor’s veto of House Bill 2296, which would offer limitless liability protection to mobile home park owners who allow residents to seek shelter in their offices during severe weather, failed by a vote of 47-50 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 2296 passed the House unanimously last month.

On Friday, Governor Fallin vetoed HB 2296, by Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, citing concerns about possible unintended consequences.

Gov. Mary Fallin

“After a thorough review of House Bill 2296, I felt that it had the potential to provide legal amnesty to individuals who encouraged the residents of mobile home parks to take shelter in structures that were unsafe,” said Fallin. “This would have the unfortunate and unintended consequence of actually putting lives in jeopardy rather than protecting them. This was obviously not the intent of the authors of this bill, which is why I vetoed the legislation.”

House Republicans are working on a more comprehensive liability protection policy that will address the governor’s concerns. The new language will be included in an amended version of House Bill 2419 by Rep. John Enns, R-Enid. The amended version of HB 2419 will offer liability protection to any individual who offers shelter to another during severe weather rather than offering protection only to mobile home park owners.

On Monday, the House postponed action on an attempt to override the veto of HB 2296 when Speaker Kris Steele’s motion to table the move to override passed.

Speaker Kris Steele

“The intent was never to block a vote on the veto override, but to ensure an informed vote on the veto override,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “In the course of our caucus deliberations on the veto, we identified a House bill currently awaiting action in the Senate that could be amended to address the issue and secured a commitment from the governor to work on compromise language for that bill.”

Proctor said he hoped to insert the language of his bill into another piece of legislation. 

Steele extended an offer Monday evening to House Democrats to work together to develop a compromise, but Proctor opted instead to try to override the veto again Tuesday. The veto override attempt failed.

“The House Republican Caucus cares about this issue and is moving forward with Governor Fallin to develop appropriate liability protection for those who open their doors to others during disasters,” said Steele. “The amended bill will address the governor’s concerns through a more comprehensive policy that meets and exceeds the intent of House Bill 2296. It will offer more protection to more people.”

HB 2419 by Rep. Enns contains an emergency clause which would allow the more comprehensive liability protection to become effective immediately. HB 2296 by Rep. Proctor would not become effective until November 1, well after the severe storm season this spring. 

Fallin is working with legislators to develop the comprehensive policy.

“Moving forward, I am absolutely committed to working with lawmakers on new legislation that accomplishes the intended goal of HB 2296, which is to encourage our citizens to open their businesses or homes to other citizens in times of crisis, said Fallin. “Speaker Steele has already shared with my office an early draft of a ‘Good Samaritan’ law that not only achieves those goals, but broadens the scope of HB 2296 in a way that will positively affect even more Oklahomans.”

Fallin visited Woodward earlier this week where a tornado killed six people and injured many more early Sunday morning. 

“I have talked to families very recently whose ability to reach a storm shelter or sturdy building meant the difference between life and death,” said Fallin. “I will continue to do everything in my power to improve access to those safe places in times of emergency.”

Steele expressed regret that Democrats opted for politics over policy. 

Rep. Eric Proctor

“A good faith offer was made to House Democrats to work on a compromise bill with Governor Fallin and they rejected that offer to work together in favor of an all-or-nothing approach with the veto override,” said Steele. “I communicated to Representative Proctor that I wanted him to take a lead on this compromise, but he declined. It’s disappointing that some would rather play politics with this issue than work collectively on a compromise. Nonetheless, we are doing our jobs and moving forward with the governor to address this issue.”

Proctor said that if the bill carried by Rep. Enns is not signed next week he will again attempt a veto override on HB2296. 

Ownbey Requests Study of Tornado Shelter Need and Available Incentives

State Rep. Pat Ownbey has requested a legislative study to determine how the state can better incentivize greater access to storm shelters during severe weather.

“Oklahoma is tornado central; we just saw another set of devastating tornadoes hit the center of the state recently,” Ownbey (R-Ardmore) said. “I think it is important to see what the best options we have to address tornado deaths, to see if there isn’t something we can do to better protect Oklahomans.”

Multiple tornadoes touched down on May 24, damaging the Chickasha, Canton Lake and Piedmont communities and resulting in several deaths. However, it was the Lone Grove tornado that brought the issue to Ownbey’s attention, he said.

“The Lone Grove tornado took the lives of several Oklahomans,” Ownbey said. “Lives could have been saved if there had been greater access to tornado shelters.”

In 1999, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began the Oklahoma Residential Shelter Initiative. The rebate program was funded with $12 million in federal hazard mitigation funds. It resulted in the creation of 6,016 safe room shelters throughout Oklahoma.

In 2003, Oklahoma authorized Operation Safe Room, which was a similar rebate program giving more than $3 million in rebates by paying 75 percent of the cost of a storm shelter, up to a $2,000 maximum. Residents were given 30 days to register with the program and had to complete construction within 14 months.

That same year, the Tornado Shelters Act authorized the use of community development block grant funds for the creation of tornado shelters in manufactured home parks.

Storm shelter registries exist in many Oklahoma cities and counties, but there is no single statewide point of contact. These registries are voluntary and are designed to assist emergency workers find people who have survived severe weather in their storm shelter but may be trapped by debris and unable to leave.

“These are just some of the programs and issues we will examine in the study,” Ownbey said. “I think there may already be some opportunities to increase the number of shelters in Oklahoma.”

Lawmaker Requests Temporary Licensing of Doctors Displaced by Joplin Tornado

Rep. Doug Cox
R-Grove

State Rep. Doug Cox called on Gov. Mary Fallin last week to issue a directive that would allow physicians displaced by the Joplin tornado to obtain temporary Oklahoma medical licenses free of charge so they can see and treat their patients in Northeast Oklahoma facilities.

Cox (R-Grove), who is an emergency room physician and the medical director at the Integris Grove hospital, said Missouri patients are coming to both the Integris Grove and Miami hospitals because they cannot get in to see their regular physician. The two hospitals took on numerous victims of the tornado, he said.

“The Joplin tornado destroyed medical facilities and offices, making it impossible for patients to see their doctors,” Cox (R-Grove) said. “We’ve been seeing patients in our emergency room for everything from routine care to prescription refills. I think that it is imperative that we do what we can to help these displaced doctors and their patients. Arkansas and Kansas have already taken this step and I would like to see Oklahoma step up to the plate as well.”

Cox praised Fallin for issuing a state of emergency, which allowed pharmacies to refill non-narcotic prescriptions for 30 days without doctor authorization.

“I would like to thank Governor Fallin for the action she has already taken,” Cox said. “Integris Grove is standing by to help these doctors and patients in any way we can. I hope the governor will take this next step, so that we can do more to help out the people of Missouri in any way we can. I am sure they would do the same for us.”

Rep. Ownbey Files Legislation to Prevent Tornado Deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 19, 2010) – State Rep. Pat Ownbey has filed legislation to help protect Oklahomans from the type of devastating tornado that struck Lone Grove last year.

House Bill 2835 would require the owner of a mobile home park to provide tenants a plan for the sheltering or evacuation to a safe place of shelter of the tenants of the park during a tornado, high winds or flooding. The legislation requires the plan be developed with the assistance of the municipality where the mobile home park is located or the county emergency operations office or the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

“The Lone Grove disaster resulted in the death of several Oklahomans,” Ownbey said. “Lives could have been saved if there had been more access to tornado shelters. Mobile home parks are particularly vulnerable and I think this legislation will save lives.”

Ownbey said that because the legislation has no cost, it can be approved even in a tight budget year.

“I deliberately chose a cost-free solution because I know it will be hard to get bills passed with price tags attached,” Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said. “I had looked at a tax credit for mobile home parks to install shelters, but I think this legislation moves us in the right direction by ensuring mobile home park residents have a safe place to go and know how to get there.”

Tax Incentive Legislation Passes House Committee

AP story in the Oklahoman

"Legislation to expand tax incentives for energy efficient homes and give tax relief to the victims of the Feb. 10 tornado has cleared a state House committee."

Tax Relief for Tornado Victims, Military Widows and Energy Efficient Homes

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 9, 2009) – Legislation to expand tax incentives for building energy efficient homes and give tax relief to the victims of the Feb. 10 tornado and spouses of fallen servicemen has been passed out of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Senate Bill 481, by state Sen. Todd Lamb and state Rep. Jason Nelson, would expand the existing credit for construction of energy efficient residential property, so that the credit can be used on the construction of property of any size beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Currently, the eligible residential properties are limited to 2,000 square feet.

The bill would also give tornado victims an income tax credit for tax years after Dec. 31, 2009 and a credit for registration fees and the excise tax for any vehicle purchased to replace a vehicle destroyed by the Feb. 10 tornado.

Larger residential properties stand to gain the most from energy efficiency, Nelson said.

“Large buildings consume the most energy and therefore it is common sense to include them as eligible for this tax incentive,” Nelson said. “My legislation would save builders a total of $2.4 million, allowing them to focus on lowering the energy costs for Oklahomans who purchase their homes.”

Nelson said tornado victims were in need of tax relief and that he was glad they would be supported by his measure also.

“The February 10 tornado was devastating to some Oklahoma families and individuals and I am proud to include tax relief for them in my bill,” Nelson said.

An amendment to the bill also added an income tax exemption for the spouses of fallen servicemen and women.

“These brave men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” Nelson said. “Their spouses, who have suffered a great loss, deserve our consideration. My hope is that the legislation will help honor their memories.”

Senate Bill 481 now proceeds to the full House for debate and a vote.